Teaching the Neighbors to Solder

Teaching the Neighbors to Solder, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Shouldn't we all be able to solder? I was surprised how fast the kids picked up the ideal of keeping a steady hand. I went over the temperature controller they soldered later and it actually worked. The big surprise when teaching is kids is how much trouble they have aligning a 28 pin IC with the holes in the circuit board.

Home Mail Order Business

Home Mail Order Business, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

This is a typical scene at our place after a 3-day weekend. All the packages for things we have sold through our store or ebay pile up.

Healing Arts Clinic - February in T or C

For the entire month of February yogi, bodyworker and health professional Wendy Sager Evanson has transformed her bodywork studio, Studio De La Luz, into a walk in natural health clinic. I've visited several times already and found a variety of practitioners, explained what I was looking for and received a treatment for a donation of $10 to $15. The clinic is easy, inexpensive and helpful. Each time I revisit it there's more of a crowd. The word is out. Thanks so much Wendy! For the clinic's schedule and more about the studio check out the De La Luz Blog. 

Treat a Mercedes like a 1/2 Ton Pickup

Treat a Mercedes like a 1/2 Ton Pickup, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

I transfered some grease yesterday to a new friend in Albuquerque. He picked up 125 gallons and managed to fit it all in his WVO converted 1984 Mercedes 300TD. Keep in mind that he still had two fuel tanks and two occupants so he might have been carrying as much as 1400 lbs. Good thing he just put on new shocks.

Meet the PIMP

Meet the PIMP, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

PIMP - power in my pocket. Wendy named it. My soon to be released battery tester, charger and desulfator. It's designed to charge battery banks from 1-100V at a constant current of .5A. When I'm confident the firmware is stable I'll release the full design files, source code and bom.

Mad Skills & New Faces in T or C

Every winter here has a personality. This year town feels as though it is maturing. The community that's been here as long as we have (6 years) and longer, feels deep and close, family. There is also an incoming stream of new folks. I've noticed more same sex couples (women in particular) and younger people. We're excited to welcome them all

The latest to arrive is Jeannie and Kyle, nomad artists tired of the road, they settled just down the street from us. They are an excellent example of the kind of folks who can make it in T or C, they have mad skills, they're real makers of things and they sell their wares on the web. It's best not to rely on our local economy for more than the domestic economy of gifting and barter which is great for keeping the cost of living low and avoiding using money but useless when you need to earn American dollars for the few expenses needed to live in this inexpensive local.

Check out their blog and store. Welcome to T or C Kyle and Jeannie!

Garbage Irrigation Controller

Garbage Irrigation Controller, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

I know, I know...I said don't take broken irrigation stuff from the dumpsters after a freeze. Last time I grabbed a bunch of cracked solenoid valves and wasted a bunch of time when I realized how they had already cracked from a hard freeze in December. Well, this one might be different. This is a irrigation controller which looks kind of ancient, but might have some life left in it.

Return to Sidewinder

Return to Sidewinder, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

We can't get enough of this hike. It's beautiful and popular with the locals.

Morning Fog

Morning Fog, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

We just had a great day of rain. It was dark and gloomy all day, but we have learned to love that kind of weather as it is rare in our region. This morning we woke up to a light fog which quickly burned off with the morning sun.

Professional Prototype Boards Arrived

Professional Prototype Boards Arrived, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

My capacitive charger kit is one step closer. The professionally printed prototype PCBs have arrived. Whew, that's a lot of P's. I'll be soldering them up and doing some testing before placing a bulk order for full spec PCBs.

VD Dinner

VD Dinner, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Had a nice valentines day dinner with neighbor Laura and Wendy. It was a real 5 course meal which I forgot to photograph in it's entirety. The sous-vide carrot and parsnips and challah bread were my contributions. I forgot to add the sugar to the sous-vide bag and was a 1/2 a teaspoon high on salt on the bread. It was good enough.

I Need a Drink

I Need a Drink, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Sesame sniffed this sign out the other morning. It was left outside our front fence.

Help with Health in T or C

In T or C local shop keeper and herbalist Yarrow Mackenzie offers desert dwellers more than a sweet little health food shop and a healthy lunch. Anyone can stroll over to her store, The Little Sprout and get advice about health and diet. Her expertise is in herbal medicine and nutrition. On the spot Yarrow make up tinctures and remedies, teas and suggests nuanced fasts. It would be easy to take this gift for granted. In the city advice this good would, assuming it could be found, cost me a hundred bucks. I might even have to wait and set up an appointment. Yarrow is a small town treasure.

This week I nonchalantly mentioned that I thought I had congestion in my gallbladder and that my liver was sluggish based on how I felt and on line reading. An acupuncturist also confirmed the belief. Yarrow effortlessly offered up the following simple cleanse which I did right away and made me feel immediately better. I'm posting it here to share in case you need it.

For three nights just before going to bed mix the juice of a grapefruit with three tablespoons of olive oil. Swig. Go to bed immediately (so your laying down) and tuck your right leg up to your chest while laying on your right side for ten minutes or so. That's it! In the morning you will no doubt notice that your gallbladder is being flushed. Thanks Yarrow.

For those who live in T or C, keep an eye out for a spring juice fast Yarrow will be offering.

Virgin Heat

Virgin Heat, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Probably not the best idea to purchase your media from yard sales.

Mormon Tea Harvest

Mormon Tea Harvest, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

This is the best time of year to harvest ephedra. The plants are preparing to bloom, the color is deep green, potency is high and the little spikes are minimal. We went into the desert and picked a large quantity mormon tea to be sold in dry leaf and tincture forms.

New Kitchen Sink Faucet

New Kitchen Sink Faucet, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Our old kitchen sink faucet died. It started to leak and was so mineralized that it appeared to be beyond recovery. We had a spare on standby and swapped it. It took me nearly two hours to complete due to the limited space and visibility.

Dead Body at the Park

Dead Body at the Park, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Sesame and I took of for our morning run only to return home in record time. The park was closed off with three police cars. When we tried to enter a police officer waved us away. It seems a dead body was found. No information has been released so far as to who died and the cause.

Quickie Eye Pillow

Due to a lot of time spent writing, my computer time has increased by hours each day. I feel eye strain as a result. I made a quick eye pillow out of a scrap of silk and a woven textile  left over from other projects, filled the pouch with rice and ahhhh, instant relief. Like palming, the pillow relieves eye strain. The mild pressure of the sack feels great. The whole project took only 10 minutes.

New Housemate, a Jun Kombucha Mother

We were just gifted a new kombucha mother making that three distinct varieties that we live with: a standard one (black tea and sugar); a red wine mother that lives exclusively off of red wine; and one we just obtained called jun. Jun lives off of green tea and honey. I love these varieties and have been trying to nuance my cooking to take advantage of their unique tastes. The red wine kombucha produces a port like brew comparable to a heavy balsamic vinegar. Jun is seeming much lighter, sweet and perky.

Bottled: Apple Mead

Bottled: Apple Mead, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

I finally got around to bottling up the mead I started in early December. Just before corking each bottle I added 3 tablespoons of unfiltered apple cider from apples we harvested last fall. This should add a lot of carbonation. I'm storing the bottles in a cool place to reduce the explosion factor.

Indian Dinner

Indian Dinner, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

We enjoyed a delicious indian style dinner last night. I made naan for the first time which was fun. The bread required multiple punchdowns with 15 minute waits which was a little disorienting. We harvested our first cauliflower head of the year and tossed it in the sous-vide. We were recently gifted a chutney from 2007 to our surprise was edible and tasted great. It all came together nicely, but could have benefited for a little saag paneer (spinach and cheese).

RO Filter Swap Update

RO Filter Swap Update, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

I've changed all five filters on our reverse osmosis home water filter. I'm now seeing some decent numbers. We have gone from city water which is registering 540 PPM to RO filtered at 70 PPM. The RO number is still dropping (which is good). I think we are going to max out our filtration on this unit between 38 - 50 PPM.

Filter Swap Day

Filter Swap Day, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Replaced the 3 of 5 filters on home reverse osmosis unit. The drinking water quality has been unacceptable low for the last few weeks. The filters I've pulled looked dirty and it was time to yank them. The water quality is still testing bad at 420 ppm so I'm going to pull the remaining two filters after I flush the storage tank a few times.

Sidewinder Trail

Sidewinder Trail, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Enjoyed a new hike with some friends this morning. This one is located about 3 miles from our place not far from mescal canyon on the other side of the Rio Grande. It offers lovely views and takes about two hours door to door.

Wendy's Hang

Wendy's Hang, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

After going nuts from writing for the last several months Wendy has decided to spend her days writing at different spots in town. Sometimes the coffee shop other times the health food store.

Fennel

Fennel, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Guess who had fennel salad for dinner. Yep, we did. It grows well in the middle of winter. It doesn't even need a cold frame. Wendy serves it up with a balsamic salad dressing and oranges.

Kimchi down to 20 Minutes of Prep

Kimchi down to 20 Minutes of Prep, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

I made another batch of kimchi. A little heavier on the carrots than the cabbage on this round as Wendy prefers it that way. Using a Cuisinart to chop everything I'm down to 20 minutes of preparation. We still need to age it for about a week for the taste to peak. I just toss the jars in the cheese fridge which holds a temperature of 50F.

Tempeh Starter Fail

Tempeh Starter Fail, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

I decided to try and save the mycellium from a batch of homemade tempeh and totally failed. The tempeh fermented nicely with the commercial starter I've been using for years. I let one bar sit for a extra 5 hours (should have waited longer). I proceeded to try the tempeh overnight using a dehydrator and grind it up the next day with a vitamix. I reduced things down to a fine yellow powder that had a strong odor. However, when I tried my next batch of tempeh with two teaspoons of started it didn't take. I'm going to resume this process of saving a starter. Any tips are welcome.

Tank to Tank

Tank to Tank, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

I moved one of our water catchment tanks which had been on standby over to the main roof gutter. Wendy came home and helped me cut into both tanks and plumb them together. Now we should have higher quality water on the right tank with less sediment. Rain is the forecast for tomorrow and Sunday. Looking forward to seeing how much rain water we catch.

Evening Walk

Evening Walk, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Wendy and Sesame on top of giant dirt pile at Rotory Park.

Tempeh Started

Tempeh Started, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

Kicked off another batch of tempeh today. We are going to try and save some mycelium from this batch for future tempeh. Buying the starter on-line costs about $5 and makes 18 lbs worth of tempeh.

Bulk Bread Yeast

Bulk Bread Yeast, a photo by mikeysklar on Flickr.

If you bake bread frequently please consider buying yeast in 5 lb bags. This particular bag was given to me 18 months ago mostly full. I still have about two pounds of yeast left and might get three more years of bread out of it. I store the yeast in the freezer in hope of extending it's life.